quote:Hawthorne appeared in 11 games with 10 starts at multiple linebacker positions in his first season in New Orleans, recording 43 tackles (20 solo) despite missing five contests due to an injured hamstring. The former Texas Christian standout came to New Orleans following a breakout 2011 campaign with the Seattle Seahawks where he was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Overall, Hawthorne has played in 72 games with 51 starts and has totaled 379 tackles (260 solo), six sacks, seven interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, 15 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 15 special teams tackles. He looks to return healthy to the Saints linebacker unit and contribute in the club’s new 3-4 defensive alignment in 2013.

re: Alltime Saints Jersey # Countdown to First Preseason Game (Posted on 6/18/13 at 10:11 am to Whodatforlife21)

#53 Richard "Dick" Alfred Absher, Jr. played for the Saints from 1969-1971

Not many pictures of him, but I thought his stats were interesting. He was a Linebacker/Kicker.

Pro Football Reference and Pro Football Archives shows that he had 2 career interceptions for 28 yards, 1 kick off reception for three yards and 5 fumble recoveries for the Saints. They also show that he had 4 extra point attempts and extra points made and 1 field goal attempt and miss for the Redskins, the team that drafted him.

quote:Richard Alfred Absher, Jr. (born April 19, 1944 in Washington, D.C.) is a former American football linebacker (and sometimes kicker) in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and the Philadelphia Eagles.[1] He played college football at the University of Maryland and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Eagles.

Absher played for the New Orleans Saints when Tom Dempsey made his record breaking kick of 63 yards against the Detroit Lions on November 8, 1970.

#52 James "Jim" Joseph KovachInside linebacker, drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the 4th round (93rd overall) of the 1979 NFL Draft. Played with the Saints from 1979-1985. He had 7.5 sacks and 4 interceptions.

He's a Doctor, Lawyer, NFL starter and owns his own business. Damn!

quote:He was the Saints' leading tackler from 1981 to 1984 and was named as the Saints' Most Valuable Player in 1983, He continued to play in the NFL while attending medical school during the off-season.

quote:Kovach earned a B.S. in biology (cum laude) in 1978 and an M.D. with distinction from UK in 1984 before getting a law degree at Stanford University four years later ("I just thought getting a law degree would be an interesting thing to do").

quote:He was voted an All-SEC linebacker in 1978.

quote:I'll never forget that first play as a pro. We were playing the Falcons in the Superdome in front of 82,000 people. Absolute chaos, total pandemonium. And from the first step the kicker took until the end of the play a few seconds later, everything was locked in slow motion. I know this sounds like a cliché, but that's how I experienced it."

quote:I've decided to start my own company." Called Swivel Scientific Services, the company will provide software and services designed to help physicians and patients cope with the explosion of genetic data caused by the human genome project and the discovery of disease-associated genes.... Kovach's new company also has a UK connection. "I remember Coach Charlie Bailey saying to us in practice, 'You've got to keep your head on a swivel,'" Kovach says. "And since this company's focus will rotate from medicine to law to technology and back, this seemed like an appropriate name."